


Rewriting Time: Trickster Style

by BrattyAngel1980



Category: Supernatural
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:14:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27438655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrattyAngel1980/pseuds/BrattyAngel1980
Summary: Gabriel finds himself in the past with little idea how he ended up there. He tries to fix some mistakes made over the last few years.
Relationships: Gabriel & Sam Winchester, Gabriel/Sam Winchester
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	Rewriting Time: Trickster Style

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All I own are the strange little plot bunnies that my muse caged for me.

Gabriel groaned and opened his eyes, pushing himself into a sitting position before looking around to get an idea of where he was. “What in Father’s name is going on?” He growled as his aching body started healing itself. Gabriel was confused and he hated being confused. He was in his old apartment in Springfield, Ohio. He hasn’t been here since 2005, when he first officially met the Winchester boys.

Gabriel tries to think back to see what the last thing he remembered is. First, it wasn’t 2005, it was 2010 and he had been… at the Elysian Fields Hotel. Starting to pace in annoyance, Gabriel snapped his fingers to materialize a chocolate bar to snack on as he thought. Taking a bite of the bar, he closed his eyes, savoring the smooth, rich taste of the sweet treat. And suddenly he remembered. 

He had been trying to protect the youngest Winchester from Lucifer. Of course Gabriel couldn’t let Sam know that he was the one Gabriel wanted safe so he told the boys to get Kali (Gabriel’s ex and a real piece of work) and get out. Then it was just him and Luci and then… Gabriel could remember wishing, praying harder than he ever had for a second chance as he felt Lucifer stab him and felt his life and grace start slipping away. But he wasn’t praying for a second chance to save his life, as much as he’d enjoyed living, no, he wanted a chance to fix his mistakes and hopefully save him, the youngest Winchester. 

He’d had a vague idea of who the Winchester boys were, had followed along here and there as they grew up, checking on them out of curiosity until Sam, the youngest, graduated high school. Sam had been fighting and hunting alongside his father and brother since he was about fourteen. But when he graduated and decided he wanted to go to Stanford University to study law, that’s when Gabriel really got the chance to see Sam in a real fight; a fight that he was passionate about and wouldn’t back down, no matter what it cost him. Gabriel found himself a little bit in awe of this young human. And when his father, John, told him that if he left not to bother coming back, Gabriel respected Sam just a little bit for not allowing the older man to cow him. No, Sam simply packed his belongings, said goodbye to his brother and left for school. 

The first year Sam was at Stanford he and his brother Dean tried to keep in touch, with phone calls and text messages happening randomly as one or the other found time to in their very busy lives to contact the other. That changed when their father found out and blocked Sam’s number without telling Dean what he'd done. After attempting to reach his brother a few times and just getting an error message Sam gave up and figured Dean had washed his hands of Sam. 

Gabriel watched as Sam began to fall into a depression and made what was probably a really stupid decision on his part. He stepped in and slowly became friends with the young man. Gabriel took a female vessel, calling himself Gabrielle, the feminine version of his true name. They became close friends but Gabriel backed off when Sam started dating Jessica. He had told Sam that he was going to be transferring to another school and disappeared back into the background of Sam’s life.

Gabriel continued as he had before, playing his role as Loki, the Norse God of mischief and chaos; causing trouble for others but in a way that also catered to his sense of justice as an archangel. As such, he only targeted those who were already on their way to hell. Some targets he was able to save with his tricks, the lesson he was trying to teach learned. Others were beyond redemption and Gabriel had no qualms about whether or not his target survived the lesson being taught. Gabriel still checked on Sam occasionally, just to make sure that he was doing alright and he still received the occasional random text from Sam asking how he was doing. The texts were always short, as if he was in a rush. 

And then Sam was 22, getting ready to go to law school and considering proposing to his girlfriend. It seemed to Gabriel as though he had blinked and the years had flown by. Then one day Gabriel received the last text from his hunter.

“Gab,  
Jess died. I'm leaving school and going on a road trip with my brother. I can’t stay here with all the reminders of Jess and our life together. I don’t p if I'll be texting again. Take care of yourself.  
~Sam”

Gabriel had sent Sam a quick response and he never heard back from Sam.

“Sammy-bear,  
I am so sorry to hear about Jess. I know how much you loved her. Please take care of yourself, darling, and let me know if you ever need anything. You know that I’m always here for you.  
Yours,  
Gab"

Gabriel sighed as he thought back over those years before the boys came across him at Crawford Hall. That was where Gabriel had begun making his mistakes. He shouldn’t have harassed the boys as much as he had. 

But for now, since it was clear that somehow he wasn’t dead even though he should be, Gabriel needed to stop thinking about the past and Sam Winchester and start trying to remember what happened after his brother had killed him. And so Gabriel sat in his armchair, propping his feet up on the coffee table in front of him.  
“So,” he thought, “Luci stabbed me, I was dying, and then what?” Gabriel frowned. He had been praying but had his father actually listened and come to his aid? Gabriel was tired and opted to see if he could get any answers from his father.

“Dad, I know that I’m probably not who you want to hear from right now but I am so confused. I don’t understand how I'm still alive, never mind how I ended up in my old apartment. Please, can you tell me what’s going on here? Is Sammy Winchester safe? And if you’re the reason why I’m still standing, thanks.”

Gabriel felt just the barest of disturbances in the air behind him and he stood , turning with his archangel blade out and ready only to see a pure white envelope with his name written on it leaning against a bottle of top label whiskey. Well, one of the best sweet whiskeys anyway. It was his favorite, MACKMYRA SKÖRDETID. Gabriel put his weapon away and walked over to the kitchen counter the bottle of whiskey and envelope were on and grabbed them before turning around and moving to get comfortable in his chair again. Once settled, he poured himself a few fingers of whiskey into a tumbler and relaxed, sipping at his drink, enjoying the smoky sweet taste, and opening his letter to see what it was about.

Gabriel could count on one hand the number of beings who actually knew that he existed and enjoyed this particular brand of whiskey. One of which he'd prayed to not five minutes ago. Another was the adorable hunter he’d last seen just before he died. Gabriel didn’t know if Sam had put it all together or not but he hoped Sam had worked out that his friend Gabrielle in college was the same as the trickster Loki and the archangel Gabriel. 

Gabriel pulled himself away from his wandering thoughts to concentrate on the letter. He recognized the handwriting.

“Gabriel,  
I'm sure that you’re a bit confused at the moment. Don’t worry. I’ll explain what I can. There are some things that you have to work out yourself, however I’m sure you already knew that. You always were the only one who understood that there were just some things that needed to be learned on your own. It’s a lesson that your older brothers haven’t learned yet. I hope that someday they might yet learn that lesson. But I digress. When you were dying, and yes, you were dying, you prayed for a second chance. That didn’t surprise me, I knew you were a little selfish and spoiled; you’re the baby after all. But what did surprise me was that you weren’t praying for yourself; you wanted a second chance to fix mistakes you made, true, but you simply wanted to go back and make things better for your hunter, Samuel Winchester. When I looked back through his life, I realized that you had made an effort to make his life better when he needed help. And you did so without any expectation of recognition. You bring both the best and worst out of each other and that, my son, is why I brought you back from the dead. I sent you to 2005, about a week or so before the Winchesters are due to arrive in Springfield. It’s a chance for you to start over with your hunter. I hope you take it and don’t repeat your mistakes. Dean still has to meet his angel. That can’t be changed. I know you understand what that means. You can’t save the boys from that part of this but maybe you can teach your Sam he can get through a few months without his brother. You may find, when you decide to remove the seal binding your angelic powers, that you’re a little stronger than you used to be. You’re welcome. Yes, it’s necessary. You’ve chosen a Winchester as yours, and in case you hadn’t noticed, Winchesters tend to draw a lot of attention and trouble. I was a little surprised that you chose the brainy one instead of the ken doll, although I suspect it’s probably because the elder Winchester is too much like you. Yes, I can already hear the protests about that but I’m right. Honestly, I just want you to be happy Gabriel. I know that life hasn’t been easy for you; getting caught between your brothers and them trying to make you choose a side. It wasn’t fair of them and I’m sorry I left. I’ve made some mistakes but I hope to fix them in the future. So, on that note, enjoy the whiskey. I know it was your favorite. Good luck and be happy Gabriel. I do love you. And just in case you were wondering, I approve of both matches. The Winchester brothers are good for you and Castiel.  
~Dad”

Gabriel downed the rest of his drink in one gulp and poured himself another. “Shit. At least I have an answer. Sort of. So, Dad brought me back and sent me to the past, just before the boys officially met me. Well, time to figure out exactly what the date is so I know when to expect them… And so I can get myself ready for them. Maybe I can try to get Sammy to be my friend again.”

Gabriel snapped up a newspaper to check the date and realized that he had two weeks until the boys arrived so he settled into his role as trickster and janitor at Crawford Hall. He continued to punish those who deserved it but was a little more discreet, other than those that he knew had caught his hunter’s attention last time around. The time went by and Gabriel was able to settle his trickster mantle around his shoulders easily enough. It was a persona that he'd worn for millennia; so long that parts of it had become deeply ingrained into his very personality and Gabriel knew that it was as much a part of who he was as the archangelic part of himself, perhaps more so. 

A day before Gabriel expected the brothers to arrive, he received a text from Sam, which shocked him. He hadn’t heard from Sam since Jessica had died so he had no idea what Sam would be texting him for. Curiously Gabriel checked the text and almost dropped his phone. 

“Gab,  
Just wanted to say hello. I don’t even know if you still have the same number or remember me. This is Sam Winchester from Stanford University. I hope that everything is going well for you.  
~Sam”

Gabriel only hesitated a moment before he texted back. He had kept this phone number against all odds just in case Sam ever reached out; Gabriel had never actually expected him to really do it.

“Well, if it isn’t little Sammy Winchester. How are you darling? Long time, no see... Or hear. I’m guessing that you never went back to school? Don’t worry, I’m not judging. I had my own life experiences pop up and I left school. And, no, I don’t want to get into any of it right now. I hope you keep texting darling. As always, I’m yours.  
Gab”

Gabriel waited a moment then set his phone on the coffee table before getting up to put the bottle of whiskey away in a kitchen cabinet. He sipped at his glass as he thought. Sam Winchester was coming into town to hunt him and he was texting him as his feminine alter ego. How could Gabriel get Sam to trust him? He sighed. Gabriel wasn’t sure but he hoped to get the younger brother alone and talk to him.

Gabriel’s female form hadn’t been very different from his normal vessel; he'd only made a few changes to himself so he knew that he looked close enough that Sam would notice the resemblance. As a female he had been curvy, his dirty blonde hair had been a little longer (about shoulder length), and he had softened his facial features slightly to look less masculine. He had been a very pretty woman, all things considered. Gabriel thought. He could technically change his form back into his feminine version but he didn’t want to. He liked his vessel; he’d had it for millennia and maybe it was selfish but he wanted Sam to like him in this vessel as well. 

As Gabriel pondered, he heard his phone go off again. He made his way back to sit in his armchair, grabbing his phone as he did, and looked at the text.

“Gab,  
No, I didn’t go back to Stanford. I’m still traveling with my brother. I did finish my degree through a special series of classes that I took online. I didn’t tell my brother Dean about it; he always agreed with our dad that it was useless for me to go to college. But technically, I did finish my courses and passed the bar exam. I actually am a lawyer, even if currently I’m not a practicing one. But I’m in a better place than I was a few years ago. My brother is a jackass and drives me crazy but he’s my brother. We’ll be in Ohio by morning and will probably stay for a couple of days. I won’t pry; you know I wouldn’t do that, but if you want to talk about whatever life’s thrown at you, I’ll listen. Where are you now? Maybe next time we’re near wherever you are we can get together and catch up.  
~Sam”

Gabriel smiled and texted him back.

“Samshine,  
Wow. Congratulations on graduating and passing your exam. I’m proud of you. I’m currently in Springfield, Ohio. If you’re coming through anywhere near here, I’d love to see you. Honestly, I’ve missed you. I kept this number hoping you’d reach out to me eventually. But I definitely have some things I want to talk to you about but I’d rather talk to you in person. Let me know if you’re going to be in my area. As always, Sammy, I’m yours.  
~Gab"

Gabriel didn’t have to wait long for Sam to answer his text. About a minute later his phone went off and Gabriel chuckled at the message he read.

“Gab,  
I still don’t understand why you always say you’re mine. You’ve been my best friend pretty much since we met. I'd like to see you. We’re actually heading to Springfield, Ohio. We should be there tomorrow. Maybe we can get together after Dean and I get a decent night’s sleep. I hope we get the chance. I really have missed you.  
~Sam”

Gabriel quickly sent Sam a reply then sat back to wait for an answer.

“Sammy,  
When I say that I’m yours, I mean exactly that. I’m here for you in any way you want me to be. Friend, lover, whatever. No pressure for anything. I’ve missed you too, sugar pie. Let me know when you get into town and we can work something out. I have work but I’m sure I can find time for you in my schedule. I’ll see you soon.  
Yours,  
Gab”


End file.
